


The School

by animechicken



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Horror, Random & Short, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22044451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animechicken/pseuds/animechicken
Summary: The main protagonist and her two best friends, Rose and Lauren, are happily anticipating their transfer into one of the newly founded government's schools. However, the experience doesn't go exactly as they had predicted.
Kudos: 1





	The School

The war was over. From the ruins of the old governments of the world, a single new one had emerged. Things would get better, society would be rebuilt, and life would have meaning once again. More clearly, better for some, rebuilt in a different manner, and have a very different meaning.

***********************

I was excited, we all were. My childhood friends and I gazed out the window of the bus that was taking us to the government’s newly established school. We could see farmers to the east, working in the shimmering wheat fields, and herds of grazing sheep to the west.

“Hey, Lauren! What job do you think they’ll assign you when you graduate? I’d love to raise animals, and enjoy a beautiful day like this out in the fields!” I said.

“Animals? I’d want to make clothes! Y’know, like a fashion designer,” she replied.

“Cool! By the way, what do you think we’ll be studying?” inquired Rose.

“Who cares, as long as there’s time to play games!” Lauren exclaimed.

We were all silent the rest of the way there, fantasizing about the possibilities the school held.  
We arrived at noon, to a sight that no one was expecting. A beautifully ornate building stood in the distance, surrounded by manicured gardens and chiseled fountains.

“Whoa, it’s gorgeous!” whispered Rose, in awe.

We walked to the front of the school, where we were sized up by a tall woman who looked like a Barbie. 

“Come in, sweet children, and you will be given your numbers.” She cooed.

The room at the entrance of the school was large and spacious, with a stage at the far end. Everything was decorated with ribbons and glitter. A well-dressed man appeared onstage, and everyone looked up attentively.

“Please listen carefully. Each of you will be given a number. Staff will address you by your number, and we’d like everyone else to use them as well,” the man said.

We were then given our numbers. Actually, they appeared on the backs of our shirts, among flowing designs patterned with flowers and animals. I was #326, Rose was #320 and Lauren was #312. We were then led to the dorms. Each dorm room was quite large, and housed thirty students. There were five rows of six beds in each dorm, with the largest bathroom I’d ever seen. However, there weren’t any places to put our things, like closets or cabinets. 

“You won’t be needing any of your things. This school is your home now, and we will be providing you with everything you need,” said a woman who appeared at the doorway. “Your uniforms are right outside the door. You are allowed to take up to three pairs.”

We got up to go see our new uniforms, and were utterly amazed. There were different styles of shirts, pants, and skirts in lots of colors. The shoes were fashionable and came in many sizes.

“This is gonna be a fun year,” I whispered to Rose.

“Yeah,” she agreed.

At eight o’clock sharp the next morning, we were woken by a knock on the bedroom door and a melodic voice telling us to wake up. 

“Good Morning, sweethearts, time to get up! Breakfast in the hall in twenty minutes,” said a pretty woman in the doorway. 

We got down to the hall, and found a huge buffet of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, cinnamon rolls, and many other appetizing foods. Almost all the kids around us began eating ravenously, grabbing all  
the food they could. After all, a ten-year war had just ended, and we had previously been lucky if we got breakfast.

“This seems too good to be true. Do you think it’s rigged?” I asked Rose.

“I don’t know, but I’d be careful. Where’s Lauren?” she asked.

“Probably pigging out. We should try the food too,” I replied.

“Ok, you’re right,” she said.

We sat down and served ourselves some food. It tasted wonderful, so wonderful, that I realized I had already eaten a plate and a half, and I still wanted more. I tapped Rose on the shoulder.

“Hey, how much have you eaten?” I asked her.

“Well, I’m still hungry,” she replied.

“How much have you eaten?” I asked her again.

“Two plates, you?” she asked.

“One and a half. There’s something weird with this food. That boy over there is on his seventh plate,” I said. “Not only that, I feel weird, like I can’t think straight anymore.”

“Oh my god, you’re right. We need to find Lauren,” said Rose. 

We spotted Lauren three chairs over. 

“Look how everyone’s eyes are glassy, even Lauren’s,” muttered Rose.

“Hey Lauren, are you okay?” I asked.

“Lauren? I’m #312, at The School. I’m thirteen, in first year,” she replied, with a glassy look in her eyes. 

Rose gave me a horrified look, and I embraced her.

“Rose, don’t cry. We need to pretend we’re braindead, too,” I said to her quietly.

***********************

1 year later

We weren’t such great actors, and the people who ran the school separated us from the rest, along with some others who had caught on. They gave us a special dormitory, away from the others, but treated us with the same pampering.

The schooling itself was at best described as lousy. There weren’t proper classes and teachers. It was usually manual labor. They would have us assemble things with instructions that were usually wrong. If you followed the instructions, you usually got hurt. Rose and I usually found the mistake. Over time, we kept being moved to different rooms with the smarter group of kids, as the less-smart were weeded out.

“Rose, do you think we’ll be scientists, or doctors, or something, and that’s why they keep separating us?” I asked one day.

“I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out soon. Graduation Day is next week, right after Testing Day. They’ll tell us what our role in the community will be. I can’t wait!!” Rose exclaimed.  
I nodded back enthusiastically.

***********************

Testing Day

As I left the testing center, I saw the proctor make a green mark on my test. I was fantasizing about passing the test and what job I would get, when I realized I wasn’t being led the way back to my dorm nor the place where the other students were waiting to be assigned roles. Rose and I were being walked through a dark hallway that seemed to be growing narrower and sloping downward. We reached the end of the hallway, and a horrible smell hit my nose, like that of rotting meat. There, we were herded into a small, muggy chamber with no windows whatsoever, along with about ten others, all of whom had been outsmarting the tests like I had been. Then they called us out, one at a time, by our assigned numbers. 

“Number 326!” yelled a gruff voice.

“Rose, whatever happens, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I love you like a sister,” I whispered.

Then, a strong hand roughly pulled me out of the chamber into the room where I realized the terrible smell had been coming from. There were heaps of bodies strewn across the floor or hanging from the ceiling, most of which were decomposing. However, I did notice three fresh ones, whose faces belonged to people I had just seen in the chamber. I knew what was in store for me. The government didn’t want smart people, they wanted senseless people that were easy to manipulate and bend to their will. These were my last thoughts before the axe met my head and I knew no more.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All,
> 
> This is a short story I wrote for a school project years ago that I dug up on my old computer and edited. Please let me know what y'all think; any feedback or suggestions are much appreciated!
> 
> ~animechicken


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